6 wk old struggles to take a nap, cries almost all the time.

[siri77]

6 week old hates to nap during the day. I feed, do a little activity and wait for his cues mainly a yawn. I never leave activity time longer than 30 min.When I try the pat shh method he starts to struggle and cry until its a full blown melt down. I've tried to swaddle him but it makes him more frustrated as he likes to have his hands by his face, (this annoyingly also wakes him up at times as he pokes himself in the face) Sometimes I manage to get him down but he wakes after 10-20min and by the time he does fall asleep it's time for his next feed and I struggle with the decision of whether to wake him. He's not getting enough sleep but becomes overstimulated very easily and cries even if he's in my arms. I try not to over play with him and be calming but nothing seems to work. Please help, first time mum.

[lauradj]

Hi there, the first few weeks can be a real challenge.  Baby is confused about what's going, Mom and Dad are pooped.  It's rough.  I've attached a link below to help you out but I also want to offer a few suggestions.  Try to focus right now on deciphering your baby's Mantra cry from her 'I need you!' cry.  This can be really challenging but it will help you in the long run.  When DS1 was around the same age, it was my Mom who stopped me from racing into his room at one point, telling me he was just fussing, and she was right.  I trained myself to stop and listen and not rush in at the first noise.  I even had to set a timer when I heard DS1 fussing.  If he was still fussing and wriggling around after 20 minutes, I went in.  However he seldom did.  It goes without saying that if your baby is crying, go in and help them but try to stop and listen first.
The other thing is, please don't stress too much about getting everything perfect.  Your baby is still so young and the fact that you're following the order of EASY is great.  If you need to wear baby in a carrier to get a nap, or take him out for a walk in his stroller, do it.  At this point, any AP you do to get naps can easily be undone.

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